KOZHIKODE: ‘CBSE Udaan,’ a project envisaged to address the low enrollment rate of girl students in IITs and other premier engineering colleges, is gaining popularity in the state's CBSE schools. More than 500 girl students of classes XI and XII studying in various CBSE institutions across Kerala have applied for assistance under the scheme through the CBSE regional centre in Thiruvananthapuram in the current academic year.
The project trains girl students in entrance examinations to top institutions and provides them incentives and support so that they can join these institutions and take up leadership roles on par with boys. Mr P. Haridas, member of Kozhikode Sahodaya School Complex and manager of MSS Public School, Mavilikkadavu, said, “all our girl students of classes XI and XII have taken admissions for the project and their centre is at Kendriya Vidyalaya, East Hill here. The school is also the main centre for students from North Kerala.
“The project motivates them to learn more. The CBSE has launched it to provide free online resources. The YouTube channel of Udaan also helps them work out their syllabus at home,” he added. The scheme also supports 1,000 selected disadvantaged girls per year. “As per CBSE data, only 23 per cent of the total number of students are admitted to premier engineering colleges,” said Mr M.A. Johnson, an educational expert here.
This situation has to be changed. Various CBSE institutions have also come forward to provide tuition fees of girls who clear the entrance examinations with assistance under the scheme. Every year, the CBSE conducts a training programme to selected students on cracking the entrance examinations at its headquarters in New Delhi. The government will bear the travel expenses of the students and one parent or guardian.
Those performing well will get free tablets containing pre-loaded content. They are constantly monitored and feedbacks on their progress are given to the parents, Mr Haridas pointed out. Sources from the regional office of CBSE, Thiruvananthapuram, said that a good number of applications were from CBSE students and many others from matriculation schools as well. Of the 151 contact class centres set up under the scheme in South India, the state has been given fewer than five.
